CHARGERS LIKELY TO BE WITHOUT 3 OFFENSIVE LINEMEN

The Chargers were without three starting offensive linemen to end their last game.

That is likely how they will begin their next one.

Left tackle King Dunlap (concussion), left guard Chad Rinehart (toe) and right guard Jeromey Clary (clavicle) are expected to be sidelined today against the Cowboys, multiple sources said. To shore up its depth, San Diego signed swing tackle Nick Becton off the practice squad, waiving running back and kick returner Fozzy Whittaker in a corresponding move.

All three starters were injured in last Sunday’s loss to the Titans. Dunlap was listed as questionable. The others were doubtful.

The state of the offensive line, as it has been in recent years, will be something to watch today. It corroded in Nashville to the extent it became a factor in how the coaching staff managed its play calling.

The Chargers entered the game without right tackle D.J. Fluker because of a concussion incurred days earlier in practice. In the first quarter, Clary injured his clavicle but toughed through the pain. In the second quarter, Rinehart’s right foot went numb with turf toe. In the fourth, Dunlap was concussed.

Two reserve linemen were available for the game.

Both played.

By the end, center Nick Hardwick was the only lineman playing the position where he started the game. With Dunlap’s injury, right tackle Michael Harris switched to the left side to replace Dunlap. Rich Ohrnberger went from left to right guard. Left guard Johnnie Troutman entered the game, making his NFL debut. And Clary moved from right guard to right tackle, the pain in his shoulder becoming increasingly difficult to manage.

That Clary finished the game, knowing no additional reserves were available, “says a lot about who he is as a player,” coach Mike McCoy said. “That last series, or in the four-minute situation, we had to move some guys around, and he sucked it up for a long time in that game and the situation we were in. ...

“You’ve got to play that way sometimes, and unfortunately, it’s all part of the game. When you have tough guys like that, good things happen. They do whatever they can to help the football team.”

The play after Dunlap’s exit was a second-and-16 with 3:10 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Seeing their shuffled unit and knowing Clary’s situation, the Chargers ran the next two plays. The decision coerced Tennessee to burn its final timeout, and San Diego avoided a turnover or sack that would negatively impact field position. Punter Mike Scifres pinned Tennessee, after an illegal block penalty, to its own 6 with 2:05 remaining.

The Chargers required the Titans to drive 94 yards, down four points and needing a touchdown without a timeout. As it went, the Titans did just that.

The projected starting offensive line against Dallas, from left to right, is tackle Harris, Troutman, Hardwick, Ohrnberger and Fluker. This would be the first career start for Troutman, a 2012 fifth-round draft pick, and fifth for Ohrnberger.

Becton, an undrafted rookie, is the primary backup at tackle. Steve Schilling and Ohrnberger will be the first help at guard and center, respectively. The Chargers rotated their offensive line during the practice week, in case disaster struck again. Harris, for example, played guard for the first time.

Schilling joined the club Wednesday after it became clear Rinehart’s turf toe would force him to miss at least today’s game. He and Becton were with the Chargers in training camp before being waived in late August as part of roster cuts.

It is unclear who will return kickoffs in Whittaker’s place. Wide receiver Eddie Royal has yet to return a kick with the Chargers, but from 2008 to 2011, he averaged 24.1 yards on 57 returns for the Broncos.

Among the other options, cornerback Richard Marshall, running back Danny Woodhead, and strong safety Marcus Gilchrist have NFL experience. Rookie wide receiver Keenan Allen had 18 such returns as a freshman at California in 2010 but worked primarily as a punt returner this preseason.